Is Your Dryer Vent Safe?

4/12/2020 (Permalink)

According to the National Fire Protection Association, nearly 17,000 home clothes dryer fires are reported each year.  Unsurprisingly, the leading cause of these fires, at 34%, is the failure to clean dryer vents. Who would of thought that something that is used on a near daily basis in some households could be so dangerous. 

Look out for the following signs of a dirty dryer vent:

• A musty odor is discovered in the clothing following the drying cycle
• Clothes seem unusually hot to the touch
• Excessive heat is noticed in the room in which the washer and dryer are operated
• The dryer vent hood flap does not open properly when you use the dryer (this is the vent opening to the exterior of your home)
• Debris is noticed within the outside dryer vent opening
• Large amounts of lint build-up in the lint trap during each cycle
• Odor noticed from dryer sheets used during the drying cycle

At SERVPRO of Dover/ Middletown, we have the proper tools to clean out your dryer vents to make them more safe. Having them cleaned out by our team of professionals will not only make your dryer more safe to use, it will also increase the efficiency because the air can flow through the vent properly after it is cleaned.